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The title of this post is a bit of a joke — I was actually a barista for a couple months in grad school, but we were not a good fit haha. I took the job so I could work in the morning before class, but I am definitely not a morning person. Or a people person. You can imagine how that turned out! (I did quit — I’ve never been fired from a job!)

For Christmas this year, I got a (relatively inexpensive) espresso machine / milk frother!

I do like coffee a lot, but don’t drink much. This machine works for me as I don’t drink that much caffeine. My husband still needs to make a pot of coffee in the morning and if he doesn’t he goes through way too many pods that day! I will usually just have one or the other. The hustle / rushing of the morning usually gets me through the first half of the day without coffee and I look forward to this as my afternoon treat.

Machine

This is the espresso machine that we have. It is bundled with the milk frother but that could be purchased separately. It’s a pod-type of espresso machine which was new to us. It came with a sample pack of espresso. The pods are not plastic, they are some kind of metal. Nespresso has an app that makes ordering the pods very easy, I think you can even set up a recurring delivery. They also send a free return bag (already labeled and everything) for the used pods— they compost the grounds and reuse/recycle the pods!) The pods are around $0.70 each, with some being more and some being less. The frother froths the milk and also warms it. There is a function to froth it and keep it cold, if you prefer an iced drink! There are two lines to fill the milk to depending on if you want a latte (more milk, less foam) or a cappuccino (more foam, less milk). We also really like the taste of the plain espresso sometimes too!

Milk

The frother works best with a higher fat, fresh, and cold milk. Even between the same type of milks, fat content can vary significantly. I purchased two different brands of almond milk and the level of froth was completely different (Almond Breeze Original Unsweetened — 2.5 g fat per cup just bubbled on the warm setting and Elmhurst Almondmilk Unsweetened — 9 g fat per cup gave the frothiest milk ever). The calorie content varied significantly too — so if that matters to you, keep that in mind. The Almond Breeze froths nicely on the cold setting and does still warm on the warm setting — it just doesn’t froth on the warm setting. I actually don’t like that much froth so I can live without it. I’ve heard that nutpods work wonderfully. If you use a dairy milk, I would use whole milk if you like froth!

Sweetener

I drink my coffee black but if I have a latte, I like a touch of sweetness. As a side note, one thing I did learn as a barista, espresso can get bitter quickly. You shouldn’t let the espresso sit out on its own too long. If you are doing just a shot of espresso, put a tiny bit of sugar in the cup first and when the espresso pulls it’ll land right on the sugar and not get bitter (supposedly!). For our lattes, I made a batch of simple syrup (1:1 ratio sugar and water, boiled, cooled, and stored in the fridge) and put a drop in with the milk when getting frothed. We've also liked just plain maple syrup as well! You can experiment with adding peppermint extract, vanilla extract, cinnamon, or a tsp of pumpkin puree with pumpkin pie spice!

Accessories

The fun stuff!

For iced:

Large Working Glass from Crate and Barrel + lid (no hole for straw)

Glass Straws — this pack comes with straight and curved straws and a cleaning brush

Ice Cube Tray — Essential to freeze leftover coffee in ice cube trays so your drink can stay cold but not watered down! I put these in these in the glass first and have the espresso fall on the cubes. Square cubes essential purely for aesthetics :)

For warm:

I had a hard time deciding on which mug to get but settled on this one because of the price! It’s unique and beautiful and I can stack two of them on the shelf above my coffee bar and they look adorable! I can’t promise I won’t get another kind because I have a thing for glass! It’s the perfect size for a latte or a long pull from the espresso machine.

I can’t find my exact espresso cups but these are very similar and actually cheaper than mine! I keep them stacked upside down on the shelf next to the glass mugs. They are the perfect size for espresso, obviously, but they are also the perfect size for the boys! I love giving the boys a special treat in them. They love hot chocolate, hot cider, or a “vanilla steamer” (steamed milk, splash of vanilla, splash of sweetener). They are small enough that they usually get seconds and think they are getting a ton — instead of filling a big mug up halfway.

I hope this was helpful!! As always, let me know if you have any questions! XO